To Break or To Repeat

PROLOGUE The snow started to fall outside. My eyes started to gleam as my head started to travel into the other side of the world. I closed my eyes and clenched my fists tightly as a sudden play of an unknown scenario started to cloud my mind. “It’s already too late to apologize, Miranda.” A deep voice of a man said. “The King had already given his final decision and even how much I want to save you, I can’t.” A woman in a slave-like-attire smiled sadly. “Let’s stop pretending, please.” She whispered in a strained voice, eyes were gleaming with tears. “I know what you have done, my prince.” The man’s brows met as if he is confused of what the woman is saying. “What are you talking about, Miranda?” The woman shook her as if disappointed and hurt at the same time. “My prince, if you will just spit lies into my face again, please, leave. I don’t want to hear any more of your lies.” “Miranda-” “I saw you, Philip! I saw everything you did behind my back! I saw how you coincide with Princess Diana who supposed to be on my side! Who supposed to be my protector!” She cried. The woman shook her head once more and looks like trying to stop herself from talking. She bit her lower lip hard. “Miranda, stop doing that, please. I don’t know what you are saying. You are hurting yourself!” “Let’s stop the lies, please.” “I am not lying-” “Diana is my twin,” The Prince’s jaw dropped after the sudden confession. “That… That is-” Miranda smiled bitterly. “I know it sounds ridiculous for a mere servant as me to proclaim herself as twin of the most admired princess but it is true. In order to save the family, they had to disown me, and left unattended at a chilly forest where you found me while Diana was left at the palace and lived the life of a princess, successor of the castle’s magicians.” The Prince was silent as Miranda let all her guards down, lashed out all of her concerns in front of the Prince. “It was unfair for me. I didn’t choose to be born in a family like them! They were the reason behind all of my sufferings but instead of taking my revenge, I forgave them. Although they left me in a chilly forest for the sake of maintaining the throne into their hands, the way they treat everyone in the castle amazed me, made me love them. I made myself believe that what they did to me was all worth it. That it’s all just fine since everything’s doing good in the palace.” Her tears were falling like a waterfall. “That despite of everything, how they reacted when they found out I was after all, alive, instead of feeling grateful and happy, I saw right in their eyes how they felt threatened and regretful that they didn’t kill me.” “Miranda, w-we are seriously talking about your l-life in danger right here! It is not the right time for your jokes.” He said in a manner of frustrated. “I want to save you from this-” “When I said, ‘I saw everything’, I mean it, Philip.” Miranda emphasized that silenced Prince Philip once more. “The most aimed power of Altrajadan was bestowed by destiny to me, and not to my twin, Diana, whose until now, claiming to possess my power.” The other side of Miranda smirked, a kind of smirked that Prince Philip has ever saw. “Miranda, you know I love you but-” The Prince was stopped by a sudden strange noise coming from outside of the room. Dark smoke begins to enter and loom the whole room. It is suffocating. The prince held his neck as he coughed. The series of smoke was trying to choke him down. He coughed and coughed until he lose his balance and fell on the floor. Loud laughter of Miranda echoed in the whole room. “Ah! Someone had finally set me free!” Miranda rejoiced. She looked down at Prince Philip with a smile plastered in her face. “And you, because of you.” The weak and confused prince watched the new Miranda walks towards him and slightly squatted to level their line of vision. “And I should give you a present for that wonderful act!” “M-Miranda-” She made a disgusting look at the mention of her name. “Ah, never mind her, darling. That weakling was already thrown to where she really belongs,” and then let out an evil laugh. “I am now finally back, Plamediers!” The prince fell totally silent when the lurking smoke occupied the whole room until there’s no more light left than the striking lightning. It was like the smoke together with the lightning is worshiping her. Her evil laugh filled the room for a minute before it disappeared together with the smoke and lightning. But as what Miranda said, there was a wrapped gift laid on the floor, in front of the prince. It moved. Once Twice Thrice Then suddenly, a voice coming from it spoke that startled the prince. “Dare to open me if you want any of your wishes come true, and dare not to if you can’t bear its corresponding consequences.” The prince gulped hard. Temptation was evident in his eyes. Slowly, he crawled his way to the wrapped gift. With his trembling hands, he opened it urgently like he can’t wait any more second to waste. The moment it opened, blinding light sprawled in the whole room and both cries and laughter filled the room. “My princess, are you alright?” My maidservant immediately came to me the moment I got to my senses and began to spit blood as I cough. She was panicking while calling my name. “Princess Jcinea? What is happening-” I held my right hand up to signal her that I’m alright. “Do not come near me, Eva.” “My princess, you are coughing blood!” I can see how her hands trembled in fear and worry. “I really am, Eva. Don’t worry about me,” I said as I wiped the side of my lips with a thin cloth she handed me. “D-Did you see something… again?” Eva is old but with the use of my power, she remains healthy and strong despite of her age. She is under my mercy. She’s been with me since I was young and I can’t deny the fact that I’ve been attached with her presence that I couldn’t find anyone who fits to her position. If there is someone who knows my secrets, it was her. She was like my walking diary, she knows everything about me. And she’s useful… “Worry for yourself because I’m going to send you into another mission,” I smirked. “What is it this time? Sneak a royal guard again?!” she said, now terrified. I laughed at her reaction. “Hmmm… maybe?” I teased. “Come on, princess, I am your slave but I didn’t dream to serve a princess who orders for a royal guard to be sneaked in her room!” she said it like it was disgusting and turned her back to me. “I’d rather ask the king to kill me instead than bear embarrassment of being caught again…” she murmured. It was already years that passed and yet she couldn’t get over it. I understand her though, she was accused of having an affair to that royal guard she tried to sneak in my room. “This is different now, Eva.” I said and walked towards the large glass window of my room. “I want you to sneak-” “No.” she immediately cut me off without even hearing it whole! “… a book from the library.” I continued. She is silent and I could feel how confused she is now. “And when I said library, it isn’t the open library of Sheravia’s.” I said pertaining to the palace’s open library and turned to her. “I am meaning of the sacred library of the Holvians,” Shock is an understatement to what I saw in her expression. “M-My p-princess… I think I heard you w-wrong, could you please-” “You heard me right, Eva. I am asking you to sneak in the sacred library of the deities.” “My princess, you know that even in just the first gate of their palace, it is already impossible…” I smirked at her bothered expression. “And I won’t send you there if I know it is impossible, Eva.” I said as I raise my hand in front of her. The power of shield and protection with a promise of invisibility from deities that I’ve practiced for so long is now in my hand. This is the beginning of finally claiming the power of the four elements. “H-How…” “Tonight, you are going to travel through the help of Gasco,” I said pertaining to a friend who knows how to perform teleportation which I am currently trying to learn from him right now. She gulped hard when she realized that she don’t have any more choice. Or let me correct it, she don’t have any choice from the start. “What is this book that you want me to take?” “I want you to search for a book about the history of this certain palace which I think had already collided or colonized by other empire,” “How can you say so that it was already colonized or destroyed?” “I know all the existing palace and those that are already abandoned, Eva. And I’m all sure that this palace I discovered with this magic isn’t one of those,” “May I know then what is the name of this ‘once then’ a kingdom?” “Altrajadan,” I said and I saw how she weakened by the sudden mention of it. “I want to know what really happened and why was it shown to me. What is my connection to it,” I arched my brows when I saw how she shook her head and tears began to escape her eyes. “Eva…” “My princess, did you put a shield into this discussion of us?” I confusedly nodded. “Always, Eva, why?” My hair then started to move on their own like trying to signal me that a threat is coming near. I’m in my room… I am in the palace… Why would there be a threat? “Then, I am accepting your order, my princess.” She bowed her head but instead of feeling delighted of her decision, my eyes darted on her clench fist. I gritted my teeth. “Eva, you know you can’t hide anything from me. Spit your concerns now and don’t wait for me to read your mind!” I warned. “My question is… can you, my princess?” “Do not challenge me, Eva. You know what I am capable of,” “Do you know why of all those maids that served you, I was the one who had the courage to stay and served you for long?” “Eva.” I gritted my teeth and I am sure that my eyes were now showing its rage. “Because I know how to handle you,” she said meaningfully. “Eva, I am not pleased with any of these anymore. Do not try me,” I warned as I felt the burning need to kill. Out of nowhere, she started to sing a song… no, it sounds like a lullaby Her voice was like of a siren, I can feel every melody around me, in my wild hair, in my raging eyes and to my burning heart. They danced gracefully that it somewhat calmed me. “I will now take my leave so that I can prepare for my escape tonight,” she said and glanced at me for a soft smile. “I will be back with your wished book, my princess.” “Who are you?” I asked when my eyes started to fell. “I am no important as you so don’t bother, my princess. You should just sleep and wait for my come back,” I clenched my fist as I tried hard to fight the sleepiness in me. I closed my eyes tight and tried to enter and wonder on her thoughts. I couldn’t get to read her mind. But I didn’t stop there. I used everything that I know would help me until I cracked on her thoughts for a bit. “Altrajadan, you’ve finally made your presence known to the new bearer of your power.”